Dante (Stone Society Book 3) (16 page)

Alexi
sat at a café table, the tilted umbrella shielding him from the Mediterranean
sun. His khaki shorts and blue polo shirt were forgettable. A navy baseball cap
covered his short hair. His sunglasses hid his eyes from passersby, making it
impossible to see him watching. Searching. The port where the large cruise
ships docked was overrun with tourists, families who were disembarking from the
boat to enjoy the sights the large island offered. People looking for day
excursions to break the monotony of being holed up on a boat. Sure there were
plenty of activities aboard the large vessel, but there was only so far you
could go to get away from someone on a boat. He should know.

His
thoughts drifted back several years when he had seduced and married a young
girl. His duty to his family, his father told him. She had been pretty enough,
if a little plain, but she wasn’t his type. Alexi liked tall, leggy blondes
with large breasts. Women who had been around the block a time or two, who knew
how to give head like a prostitute. Some of his best fucks had been from
whores. When his father insisted he marry the mousy doctor, Alexi had balked. Seducing
her to get information was one thing, but tying himself down to the girl for
good was asking a little much. His father insisted once they had the
information they needed, he could divorce her and move on with his life. Things
hadn’t turned out quite like they planned. His pulse sped as he thought of the
fight they had that nearly killed him. The bitch was supposed to go over the
side of the boat, not him. If he hadn’t been such a strong swimmer, Alexi would
have drowned that day.

The
current dragged him through choppy waters as he swam for his life. At some
point he passed out. Instead of dying in the sea, his body washed up on the bank.
The area had been mostly isolated with the exception of a run-down section of
tenement houses. It was a part of the island he knew well. One of his favorite
whores lived there. He pulled himself out of the water and made his way to her
home.

Alexi
had stayed hidden away from everyone, allowing his father, his wife, and the
authorities to think he drowned in the sea. His whore nursed him back to
health, hiding him away where no one would think to look for one of the
wealthiest men on the island. Eventually, he tired of living in squalor. There
was only so much a good fucking could accomplish. He had the prostitute gather
information daily regarding the progress of the case against his little mousy
wife. He almost felt sorry for her, being pitted against his father. Once it
was known his wife was clear of the charges and had left the island, Alexi made
his way back home after paying the whore a handsome fee.

A
loud giggle returned Alexi’s thoughts to the present. A young girl was chasing
a lizard along the sidewalk. Just when she would reach out to grasp the
slippery creature, it would dart the other way. He watched the girl for almost
a minute before looking for her family. No one was traipsing along after her.
No mother or father frantically searching for the wayward child. He rose from
his seat and followed her, staying far enough away it didn’t appear they were
together. The farther she ran from the crowds, the better his odds were of
luring her away completely.

Alexi
joined in the chase, scooping the lizard into his hands. The little girl
stopped and stared at him as if he had wrestled a bear to the ground. “Would you
like to keep him as a pet?” he asked the girl, her bright blue eyes shining
from her smile.

“Yes,
please.” She held her hands out, but he kept the lizard safe in his own grasp.

“I
tell you what. How would you like to have a large container to put him in so he
can’t get away?” God, this was too easy. They were standing behind a row of
vending machines, well hidden from prying eyes.

“Ooh,
really?” Her blond curls were bobbing up and down as she shook her head yes.

“Really.
I have one in my car. Let’s go see about it, yes?” Alexi cautiously looked
around before stepping onto the pathway that led to the parking lot. Headed his
direction was a local policeman. Alexi returned to the vending machines, pretending
to purchase a soda. Once the officer had passed, he made his way to his
vehicle.

Alexi
didn’t dare take the girl’s hand, lest her parents see them from a distance.
The way it looked now, he was walking away. The child just happened to be
following him. He had parked his car in a spot where he made sure there were no
security cameras. They arrived at his car and he used the key fob to unlock the
door. “Get in and I’ll let you hold him while I look for the container.”

The
trusting child climbed into the back seat, holding onto the lizard for dear
life. Alexi walked to the front of the car and got in. The girl was so
preoccupied with her new pet she didn’t realize what was happening. Alexi
smiled to himself as he headed for the villa where he would keep his temporary
guest.

Stavros
couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. The man who commanded politicians, policemen,
judges, even his own son, was at a loss. Standing before him was his grandson.
Okay, so he didn’t look like Alexi. This child was the spitting image of his
mother. Mousy brown hair and those light brown eyes offered no indication this
child was his blood, but the man wouldn’t lie. Not about something as important
as blood. The woman standing in front of him was eyeing him with an arched
brow. Her impatience was clear on her beautiful face. What was a woman who
looked like a model doing in the kidnapping business?

“Mr.
Sarantos, I would like to introduce you to Connor Sanchez.”

“Sanchez?
What the fuck kind of name is that?” He glanced from the kid back to the
blonde.

“His
foster name, I would assume. Now, if you don’t mind, I have other matters to
attend.” The woman removed the tape from the child’s mouth and cut the bindings
from his hands. She pulled out her cell phone and said, “Smile!” She snapped a
picture. Mussing the kid’s hair, she walked out the door.

“Hello,
Connor. How do you do?” Stavros had no idea how to speak to a small child. When
his own son was that age, he’d had nannies taking care of him.

Instead
of responding, the child stood silently, rubbing his wrists where the plastic
tie had previously held his arms captive.

“I
am Stavros Sarantos, your grandfather. Are you hungry, thirsty? I assume you
had a long trip. You must be tired. Let’s get you settled so we can talk, yes?”

Again,
the child just stood still, mute. He wouldn’t meet his eyes. Instead he was
looking around the villa. He placed his hand on the boys shoulder and gently
urged him toward the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a juice
box. “Here you go. Is grape all right?” He had asked his housekeeper to stock
the pantry full of things kids liked to eat and drink. It had been a long time
since his son had been small.

“I
don’t drink those. They’re full of sugar.” Finally, the child spoke.

“What
do you drink?” he asked his grandson.

“Milk
or water, but I’m not thirsty. Why did you hurt my Mimi?” the boy asked,
sounding more like an adult than a boy of six. What an odd name to call his
mother. He was clearly upset, hands fisted at his side.

“I
assure you, I did not hurt your mother. Let’s sit and talk shall we?” Stavros
pointed to the living room, and Connor had a seat. “Your mother was married to
my son, Alexi. When she left the islands, she was pregnant with you. Here, let
me show you a picture.” Stavros picked up a five by seven photo of him and
Alexi and handed it to Connor. The boy studied the picture then handed it back.

 “That
man is not my father. My father is tall, and brave, and he’s coming for me.”
Connor defiantly crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

“You
are as stubborn as your mother, this is true. I have no doubt you have been
told nothing about your real father. You will meet him soon, and you will see.
You belong here with us!” Stavros’ raised voice startled the boy. He took a
deep breath and said in a normal voice, “Let’s get you settled into a room.
Come with me.” Stavros didn’t wait to see if he followed. He knew this was
going to be a testament to his patience. If this child was a true Sarantos, he
would not be belittled or treated as if he were stupid. His father had shown
early signs of high intelligence. There was no doubt Connor was just as special.

They
were walking down the hall toward the bedrooms when the front door opened.
Stavros stopped dead in his tracks as Alexi walked in with a little girl in tow.
Fuck! What were the odds they would choose the same location for their private business?

“Father,
what are you doing here? I thought you were…” Alexi stopped speaking. His eyes
were trained behind his father. “When did we start peddling boys?”

“We
didn’t, and you might want to watch what you say.” Stavros was staring at the
pretty little blonde who was preoccupied with a jar. She looked up and asked
Connor, “What’s your name?”

“Connor.
What’s yours?”

“I’m
Alyssa. Did you get a lizard, too?”

“No,
I got kidnapped,” he said matter-of-factly.

Alexi’s
eyebrows shot up close to his hairline. He picked the little girl up and took
her into the kitchen, placing her and her jar on the island. He looked at the
juice box on the counter and held it out to the little girl. “Would you like
some juice?” Blonde curls bouncing, she shook her head yes.

Stavros
needed to diffuse the situation and quickly. “Connor, let’s get you settled. I
need to speak with my son privately for a moment.” He directed Connor down the
hall into one of the larger bedrooms that had been set up for his arrival.
There were plenty of toys and coloring books in the room to keep the child
occupied. “Please, help yourself to the toys or crayons. I have something I
need to see to. I won’t be long. Afterwards, you and I can go to the beach if
you like.” He didn’t give Connor time to respond. He closed the door and locked
the child in.

 
When he returned to the kitchen, he noticed the little girl was nowhere to be
seen. “Where is she?” he asked, looking around.

Alexi
was leaning against the kitchen wall, drinking a beer. “She’s passed out in the
living room. Now, do you want to tell me why the fuck you have a boy here?” His
eyes were narrowed at his father. Alexi had the wrong idea.

“I
wanted this to be a surprise, but I guess the cat’s out of the proverbial bag.
Alexi, that boy is your son, Connor.”

Alexi
spewed the beer he had just poured in his mouth. “What the fuck? I don’t have a
kid.”

“Did
you look at him? Really look at him?  He looks just like Isabelle, and he’s six
years old.” Alexi slammed the beer down on the counter and stormed down the
hall. Stavros watched as his son tried the doorknob. “Here, it’s locked.” He
stepped around Alexi, unlocking the door. He stood back as he watched his son
and
his
son together.

“Hey,
kid, look at me,” Alexi told the boy as he squatted in front of him. When
Connor looked up with those chocolate colored eyes, Alexi gasped. Instead of
the heartfelt homecoming Stavros hoped for, Alexi stormed out of the room.
Stavros quickly locked the door and went in search of his son. “Alexi, wait.”

His
son was lifting the little girl from the sofa. “I don’t know what shit you’re
trying to pull, but that kid is not mine. He looks nothing like me.”

“Where
are you going with her?”

“Unlike
you and your games, one of us has a job to do. The contracts call for five
girls. She is only one. Now, I need to obtain four more, or have you forgotten?
I am going to put her in one of the spare rooms. If you do not want to babysit,
I suggest you take your plaything and move to one of the other villas.” Alexi
strode down the hall, depositing the girl on the bed before locking her in.

It
had been a long time since Stavros had seen his son this upset. Not since
Isabelle had been in their lives. When Alexi showed up after a month of being
presumed dead, he was a different person. He had always had a chip on his
shoulder, but the ordeal had turned him hard and calloused. Why hadn’t he
realized Alexi might want nothing to do with his own son, especially if he was
a product of Isabelle? He should never have agreed to Connor being taken from
his home, no matter what the man wanted.